RESOLUTION
A resolution to reduce the size of the City Council by discharging from office any alderman who rides a motorized e-scooter, and subsequent elimination of his/her ward, as proposed by pontificators at the annual "Bughouse Square Debates."
WHEREAS, on July 27lh, 2019, Washington Square Park, located in the Second Ward near the Newberry Library, was again utilized for its historic debates amongst those exercising First Amendment rights in the historically-named Bughouse Square; and
WHEREAS, This airing of grievances, spreading of good news, and the playful heckling of all orators is an established tradition over the past 120 years in Washington Square Park, which was named Bughouse Square by the slang ofthe day for its proximity to mental health facilities and its many inhabitants occupying time in the park; and
WHEREAS, Bughouse Square established itself in Chicago as at the center of topics such as education, safety, sports, religion, and civics. The park is credited as the location where labor discussions that ultimately led to the Haymarket Affair took place; and
WHEREAS, Washington Square Park is Chicago's oldest existing small park, and it was added to the National Register of Historic Places on May 20, 1991; and
WHEREAS, In 1964, the news magazine Life featured an article on the park as a meeting place for the LGBT community, and that notoriety led to the park hosting Chicago's first Gay Pride March, and
WHEREAS, On July 27lh, 2019, Master of Ceremonies Rick Kogan discussed the importance of Washington Square Park, and did present the John Peter Altgeld Award to CBS news anchor Derek Blakley for his dedication to journalism in Chicago; and
WHEREAS, the Bughouse Square Debates, hosted by the Newberry Library, is a continuation ofthe park's historic tradition as a place for free-speech and public discussions set forth by previous generations of Chicago's citizens; and
WHEREAS, this year, Alderman Hopkins hosted a competition among all particip...
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